


I Still Hate You

by cleopatras



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Chad!Dream, Chad!Dream is something that can be so personal, Co-workers, Denial of Feelings, Enemies to Lovers, Frat guy Dream, George has a crush but mistakes it for hatred, Height difference, M/M, but they work in a bookstore, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:02:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28786149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cleopatras/pseuds/cleopatras
Summary: George and Dream work in their university library together and man, does George fucking hate his stupidly hot coworker.
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 477
Collections: MCYT, stuff i've read





	I Still Hate You

George hated his coworker. He was quite literally the worst person he had ever met in his entire life. Why someone like Clay or  _ Dream, _ as his friends called him for some weird reason he would never understand but certainly did not care enough to ask, would ever work somewhere as meek as their university library was utterly ridiculous. He was a frat guy, he didn’t need a job, he didn’t even need to do anything other than drink copious amounts of beer and flirt with any and every girl in a ten-mile radius. Somehow the worst part wasn’t even that Clay was a frat guy, it was that he wasn’t a polo-wearing douchebag like his frat brothers. Well, he was a douchebag, he just seemed to wear clothes that didn’t scream “daddy’s money” which made him worse, in George’s opinion. It would be so much  _ easier  _ if he wasn’t the way he was. All boisterous laughter, tan skin, dirty blonde hair just shaggy enough to run your fingers through. George was pretty sure he had seen light freckles scattered across his golden cheeks, but he hadn’t allowed himself to look long enough to be sure. He tried not to look at Clay for too long on their shifts together because it got far too easy to forget how much of an asshole he was.

“Yo, Fez,” Clay called out the nickname that George absolutely despised — a cheap reference to both  _ That 70s Show  _ and George’s accent, “How many copies of Intro to Lit are we supposed to have? I thought they were due today.” 

“Uh… we’ve still got three out, but overdue charges don’t go out until midnight, so I’m sure they’ll turn up,” George clicked away at the computer. Any day where the only interaction between Clay and him was purely professional was a day of peace, but of course, George was never quite lucky enough to get through a full shift without some stupid comment from Clay. 

Today was not a peaceful day as Dream sauntered over to the desk where George was sat behind his computer, legs propped up on the shelves built into the other side, holding miscellaneous things like loose books and pencils. He scrolled through his phone as they often did on the quiet, dwindling semester days. It was almost summer which meant the library had about a week before it was filled with students frantically cramming for their final exams. George would probably be among them considering student aides were granted their finals week off for the sake of their academics. 

When Clay looked at him expectantly, he glanced up from his phone with raised eyebrows, “Can I help you?”

He carried a lopsided grin on his face which was more trouble than it was worth, “Can you help me with reshelving it goes so much faster when you do.” 

George was taken aback, not expecting a genuine ask for help, “What’s the catch?”

“I wanna spend time with you,” Clay joked, clapping his hands on the desk in a messy beat as he pushed away, nodding towards the stacks of books that needed to go back to their places, “Just kidding, I don’t wanna bend down to get to the lower shelves and you’re short.”

“I’m 5’9!” he exclaimed, genuinely offended at the notion of being called short, “That’s average!”

“And I’m 6’3, so I win, I don’t care, just get up and help me. If we’re quick, they might let us go early.”  _ They _ being the quiet old ladies who somehow knew the entire library like the back of their hands and could answer literally any question any wandering student may throw their way. They were also Clay and George’s bosses.

“Not happening,” one of the ladies, Doris, called from somewhere in the library, probably in the romance section looking for something she hadn’t read before. 

Clay groaned, running a hand through his hair as he turned towards the books that needed to go back. He gazed at them dramatically before throwing a weary look in George’s direction that he knew was all dramatics. Still, he would rather suck it up and help him than have him bugging him to help the rest of the afternoon, so he pocketed his phone and came out from behind his desk. 

“Shortie,” Clay mumbled as the two began to sort through the books.

With no hesitation, George lifted one of the books (a paperback because he was annoyed, not evil) and smacked the back of Clay’s head with it. 

“Ow!” he exclaimed, running the spot he hit with an offended expression.

George just shrugged, his expression unchanged, “Tall enough to do that.”

“You monster,” the other boy retorted, but there was little heat behind it. 

They fell into a quiet rhythm mainly because George needed to concentrate, but of course, it didn’t last long because, beside him, Clay began to hum some random tune he couldn’t place. Still, no matter what song it was, it was annoying George to death. 

“Can you shut up?” George snapped after it carried on for far too long. “I’m trying to focus. I can’t find the Gr’s, am I blind?”

“Technically yes,” Clay smirked and George would have punched the expression off of his face, but he held back. He watched as the boy took the book out of his hand, reaching over him to place the book in an open slot on the shelf above George’s head. Due to the movement, there was a smaller gap between them than there had been before with Clay leaning over him, his long fingers lingering on the spine of the book he had been holding. With a slight grin, he spoke, “A little above your eye-level, I see.” 

George pulled himself out of the close quarters so he could think clearly again because it was May so Clay was wearing a t-shirt which meant his toned arms had been inches away from George’s face and that was not a place where one was meant to be thinking. Not that it meant anything, just because Clay was undoubtedly attractive didn’t mean he wasn’t a little shit that George couldn’t wait to not have to deal with anymore. 

“Asshole,” George muttered, more under his breath with little intention for Clay to hear it, but the boy’s offended gasp meant he had failed to be discreet.

“Dude, what did I ever do to you?” Clay asked, grabbing a book from the cart, pushing it along before placing the book in its rightful place with ease. “Like, from day one of the semester, you looked ready to kick my ass the moment I said hi to you. It’s almost summer, can you just chill?”

He didn’t look at the other as he grabbed another book, searching for and finding its place as he spoke, “Because you said barely two words and I already knew who you were. Partying every weekend, getting into trouble with your  _ boys _ , you’re infamous and I know you know it.  _ Dream, _ the guy who parties like there’s no tomorrow. What a joke, if only they knew what kinds of hangovers had you wrecked when you showed up to work.”

“So you hate me because I have a better social life than you?” Clay huffed, but there was humor behind it, “If you wanted to come to the parties, you could have just asked. I’m sure you’d be fun drunk. You’re so wound up all the time, it might do you good.”

Clay reached over him to shelve a book once more, but this time he didn’t move away as quickly as he had before. The blond looked down at him and their eyes met, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips that George wasn’t sure what he knew what to do with. Part of him wanted to smack it off his face, the other part was beginning to entertain a far worse idea.

“Oh,  _ that’s  _ why,” Clay muttered, his voice a volume utterly perfect for their setting as he moved forward a little bit, effectively pushing George against the bookshelf.

He hated the confidence in the other’s expression, especially considering he absolutely could not be any more wrong. The day George had a crush on Clay would be the day hell froze over. He was insufferable, annoying, attractive… he was going to be the death of George. 

“I don’t know what you think you’re suggesting, but you’re wrong,” George fired back, but he wasn’t sure how true his own statement was. It was getting harder and harder to hate Clay when he was this close and looking at him like  _ that. _

The other seemed far too entertained by this, a playful look on his face as he shrugged and said, “Okay, so tell me to back off. You say the word and I’ll drop it.”

George bit his lip, the words sticking to his throat. He wanted to tell him, to get him to back away like this hadn’t happened, but the racing in his heart was causing the pumping blood to drown out any sound thinking. He hated Clay, it seemed ridiculous to even have to remind himself of such a thing. 

“Say the word, George,” Clay repeated, his expression more serious than it had been before as his eyes darted down to George’s lips in a glance that hadn’t meant to be caught, but George had seen it and he too wondered if he wanted the same thing Clay had insinuated. 

Somehow, the only word that wrangled its way past George’s lips was a quiet, “ _ Please,”  _ but in no way was it telling Clay to back off. His words were traitorous to the logic in his mind, but he really didn’t care anymore. He could still hate him and want to kiss him, that made perfect sense. 

Clay leaned forward and closed the gap between them, pushing George further up against the bookshelf as the shorter’s hands found themselves tangled in the dirty blond locks he had glared at too many times before. The kiss was desperate as if it was something the two of them had awaited long before this moment, gasping for each other the way a drowning man would for air. A hand found George’s dark hair, tugging ever so slightly which elicited a gasp from his mouth which Clay was more than happy to use to slip his tongue into George’s mouth which he accepted eagerly. He briefly wondered how things would have escalated if they weren’t in a library in broad daylight, but that was an idea that could be entertained later. At this moment, all George could focus on was the way Clay was pressing against him so nearly every part of them was meeting in the middle.

A shrill ding interrupted them, the signal that someone had tapped the bell at the front desk where George had been situated no more than ten minutes ago. They pulled away at the notion of being once again made aware of their surroundings, and George was breathing heavily, his skin hot and flushed. Clay was in a similar state as both of them did their best to regain their composure, but all George really wanted to do was kiss him again. 

“I think,” Clay finally got out as the bell rang again, “that’s your cue.”

“Don’t remind me,” George groaned as he did his best to make sure he didn’t look like he had just been making out with a  _ fucking frat boy _ in the middle of the library. 

He was about to walk away to help whoever was waiting for him, but Clay stopped him, “Wait, wait, wait, hold on you got a —” 

The boy reached out a hand and flattened part of his hair before smiling, “All right, you’re good to go.”

“You’re an idiot,” George chastised, biting his lip to hide the smile growing on his face. “For the record, I still hate you.”   
“Yeah, yeah, sure, I better see your ass at the end of year party this weekend, I’m not done with you,” Clay shook his head, a promise in his eyes that George would be sure to fulfill. 

Before he left to go do his actual job, he turned to Clay one last time, saying, “I’ll see you there.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm currently uninspired for my karlnap fic so today I give you this, tomorrow? who knows
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/sometimesnic)   
>  [tumblr](https://andrewjminyvrd.tumblr.com/)


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